Why I Bike

This might seem a little reminiscent of Andrea’s post “Why I Run”, but in case you haven’t noticed by now, what drives us respectively, differs greatly. But before I reveal my enthusiasm for the greatest mechanical invention in the last 200 years, I have to specify that this post is about road biking.

There are many different ways to bike on many different styles of bikes, and my reasons for riding each kind (road, mountain, commuter) vary greatly. But about two months ago while I was mountain biking at Silver Mt. I fell and separated my shoulder. Watch here. The doctor was certain I would want surgery, but in the mean time he did not forbid me from riding my road bike (Disclaimer: He did clarify that falling was not recommended). So of course I took that as a green light to start training for the Coeur d’Fondo (a 108 mile ride around Coeur d’Alene Lake).

It just so happened that the Coeur d’Alene Bike Company was starting their training group for this event, including a no-drop ride on Tuesdays and a longer ride on Saturdays. I became consumed riding with other cyclists and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. While solo rides are a great thing for clearing my head and enjoying the outdoors, riding with a group motivates me more than anything. The camaraderie, accountability, and competition are what get me into the next level. And since I couldn’t swim or mountain bike, my focus became road riding.

Something happened in the last two months. When you start to do something often enough it becomes part of your identity. Co-workers and friends asked about my plans over the weekend and I became a broken record of rides and biking stories. I’m pretty sure that they all cringe when I start a sentence with “So my biking group…”

This might conjure up pictures of pretentious, pedal pushing jocks on bikes that cost more than some cars. But that’s not my group. We are a traffic consciencious, social, beer-loving group who simply enjoys the thrill of the speed and the fitness that comes as an added benefit.

So that brings me back to my point and why I bike. Because bikes allow many people from diverse backgrounds to find common ground. Just look at Bike CDA. Bikes bring people together in a world where it’s getting harder and harder to find common interests. I love biking for the social aspect just as much as the thrills they provide and the fitness level they help me achieve. How can you beat that? Here’s a little edit I put together of a recent ride we did over the weekend.

Biker, triathlete, and outdoor enthusiast. I am not a natural writer. I don't do it by trade and never studied traditional journalistic methods. Even so I've always found that expressing myself through the written word leads to less confusion than when I speak. So I've got that going for me.

Kyle Nagel

[…] noticed, I haven’t taken much time to write lately. I haven’t updated the blog since Kyle finished the Coeur d’Fondo, I haven’t written in my personal journal and I’ve been putting off some freelance projects […]

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Andrea & Kyle

Hi, we're Andrea and Kyle and this is our blog, Stuck in North Idaho. This is where we share fun adventures, great information and stories about the Northwest, and a little local insight to northern Idaho. Juneau is our Bernese Mountain Dog, and frequently the star of the show. Thank you for reading!

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